Grey Area
by PhoenixLyric
Summary: Lety Hale just wants a taste of freedom. Her friend and rival, Hugh, just wants to prove himself to the world. Their paths lead them on a journey into the grey area of training- where does friendship end and brutality begin? What about truth and ideals- which is more important? And most important of all... who will become the champion? Novelization of my B2 run. HIATUS.
1. I

_**(A/N): Hello, everyone! I feel like this fic needs a little explaining. I bought B2 the day after its North American debut, and I'm already in love with it. I decided to novellize my own play through- so if a few names are off, that's why (I replaced Rosa's name with Lety- I thought it fit a little better). Enjoy the first chapter of Grey Area! ~Phee**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Pokédex entries or characters mentioned in this chapter unless I explicitly indicate that they are my own original characters. **_

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Prologue: Let it All Begin

I was making my bed when the home phone rang. No one ever called it unless it was an emergency or someone who hadn't bothered to get my mom's cell phone number. I watched as mom rushed outside, and I ran up to the front of the house and cracked the window to see if I could catch a bit of the conversation. Sneaky, yeah, I know, but this could be something really important. Like I mentioned earlier, no one ever calls the home phone.

"Aurea Juniper!" my mother exclaimed. "How nice it is to hear from you! We haven't talked in ages!"

_Juniper? Isn't that the Pokémon professor that lives in Nuvema, on the other end of the region? How does she know my mom? Maybe they were classmates during university or something? I think I remember her mentioning something like that..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by mom gasping. I distinctly caught the words "Pokédex", "Starter", and "girl in a green hat" repeated almost on replay. What could this mean?

"Mmhm... Bianca, isn't it? Green hat and glasses? Alright, I'll send Lety along now. Thank you, Aurea! Goodbye!"

I dashed back to my room and closed the window, making myself look busy as my mom walked back in, a large smile on her face. I finished 'straightening' my comforter and turned around, facing Mom, my long brown hair sweeping by my hips.

"Lety! I have a few questions for you- first, do you want a Pokémon?"

One nod. Le duh. Everyone catches a Pokémon eventually. Kids five to six years younger than I am already have their first partners. Mom kinda kept me behind the learning curve...

"Do you know what a Pokédex is?"

Two nods. Of course I know what it is! We learned countless things about the software in primary school! I could program one in the blink of an eye, if I ever got the opportunity.

"Would you want a Pokédex?"

Three nods, these much more frantic and excited than the other. After all these years of begging and pleading, my life is about to start completely over. And to be honest, I'm ok with it. Change can be a good thing, and that's the truth.

"Alright then, go and find Bianca, I was told she would be wearing a green hat. So, go on, start your journey!"

I practically ran out the door, reveling in the fact that I would be independent in this great big world in a matter of minutes- an hour, perhaps? Anyways, my short yellow skirt rippled in the breeze as I walked my way to the Aspertia Overlook- our most famous landmark. Of course, not three seconds into my walk and I ran into Hugh and his little sister, who I've known almost as long as I can remember.

"So, where are you going?" Oh, Hugh, always wanting to know my business. I grinned and explained the situation.

"Wow, a real Pokémon? At least I won't be the only one in town who was one now," he responded with a bored sigh. Hugh _lived _to battle. He had a Pokémon that he raised from an Egg- and Eggs are pretty rare these days. Breeding pairs are hard to come by, and it's nearly impossible to memorize the different combinations unless you're a formally trained Breeder.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Hugh's rough voice- perfectly matched to his over-the-top blue hair and those _things_ he wears and dares to call pants..."C'mon man, let's go get your Pokémon!"

His little sister, who shares his distinct crimson eyes, shot me a glare as Hugh dragged me up to the overlook. I arched an eyebrow and he shrugged. "What? You were moving too slow!"

I sighed, and ascended the last few stairs to find a medium-height blonde girl wearing a green hat staring off into the distance. "Oh!" she exclaimed, turning to reveal red glasses and cheery blue eyes. "I'm Bianca! You're Lety, right?"

I nod again.

"Tada!" she announced, pulling a small canister looking device from a pocket in her bag. "The Pokémon that will become your partner is right in here! Snivy is on the left, Tepig is in the middle, and Oshawott is on the right! Take your time- no need to rush!"

I had actually planned this out, before I ever thought that I would get the opportunity to go on my own journey. If I had a choice, I would pick Oshawott. My father had a few Pokémon, and his Samurott was quite kind to me despite its harsh and fierce appearance. I take the Pokéball on the far right and toss it, the little water type popping out and tilting his head. "Osha?" The red and white sphere comes straight back to my hand, and I attach it to my belt.

Bianca grinned. "Great choice! Would you like to nickname him?"

I bite my lip. Hmm... the little one will be quite powerful someday, just like a mighty...

"Typhoon!" I say. Typhoon seems pleased with his new name, and grins at me, his black eyes closing as he does so.

"And take this! This is your very own Pokédex! You can use it to identify different Pokémon from across the region!"

I took the device, and noticed that if I pressed a button, a second screen popped out and displayed information. I decided to scan Typhoon, and to my surprise, an automated voice came out of the pink technological innovation. That certainly wasn't covered in my primary classes. Suppose they didn't want to ruin all the fun things.

_**Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon. The scalchop on its stomach isn't just used for battle-it can be used to break open hard berries as well. **_

Typhoon tilted his head. "Oshasha?"

I grinned, and patted his head. "No worries."

Hugh dashed up the stairs, and stared at my Pokedex. "What's that?"

Bianca grinned. "It's called a Pokedex. You use it to catalog the Pokemon you meet from across the region."

"She gets one?" he motioned towards me, and I put her hands on my hips. The breeze picks up again, and I'm grateful for the leggings I'm wearing under my skirt. If I wasn't wearing them, I'd be as cold as a Vanillite by now.

"I have a name, you know!" I protest, but no one seems to hear me.

Hugh's eyebrows rose. "Can I have one too?"

Bianca dug through her bag. "Well, I guess the more the merrier! Here, have a Pokedex!"

She tossed another electronic device to Hugh, who caught it and stared at it happily. His was green and black, and had a Pokéball symbol printed on the back.

"I have an idea!" the green beret wearing girl announced out of the blue. "Why don't you have your first Pokemon battle right here, Lety?"

Hugh grinned maliciously. "I've been waiting for this, you know."

I walk to the other side of the overlook and mark my paces, stopping after fifteen or so steps. "Bring it on. Typhoon, you ready?"

"Oshaosha!" Typhoon said, tapping his scalchop with his right paw-fin-thing.

Hugh pulled a Pokeball from his belt. "Go!"

My hazel eyes widened as his only Pokemon appeared in front of me. A Snivy, a haughty look upon its face, was staring daggers at poor Typhoon, who pulled off a snarky response by detaching his scalchop and motioning forward with it.

_My first battle? A type disadvantage? Lovely_!

Hugh's Snivy seemed calm, cool, and collected, just like him. Although, Hugh has a tendency to lose his temper at the absolute worst of times. I really hope it doesn't carry over to his Pokémon during battle.

Looks like I'm about to find out.

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_**(A/N): Aaaand, cliffhanger! The next few chapters will be longer, I promise! I've been really busy with school, and all my effort is paying off quite nicely, if I do say so myself. Keep an eye out for new updates, and if you haven't already (shameless promotion) check out the poll on my profile for my other multi-chapter Pokémon story, A Chosen Few! That's all, everyone. Catch ya later!**_


	2. II

_**(A/N): Sorry everyone, real life got in the way. I just finished a grueling two weeks at school, but now I get a week off starting tomorrow! To celebrate my lack of homework, I present you with Chapter Two! R&R, please! **_

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Hugh turned towards me and grinned, and action that was rather intimidating.

"Snivy, use Tackle!"

His Snivy ran towards Typhoon headfirst, and my Oshawott turned to the side, leaving the poor Snivy to run headfirst into a brick wall.

"Quick, while Snivy's confused, use Leer!" I order. Typhoon pulls the freakiest face I've ever seen a Pokémon of his size make, and Snivy recoils, visibly scared. "You use Tackle also!" Typhoon scores a hit, and stands proudly after Snivy falls down.

"I won't forget the pain you just put my partner through! We're not done yet! Snivy, use Tackle as well!" Snivy rams its pointy nose into Typhoon's stomach, and I have to think fast. If that Snivy knows any Grass-type moves, then this won't end well. I can see Bianca over in the corner of the lookout, frantically taking notes on our battling styles. A lightbulb goes off in my head, and I grin.

"Typhoon, use Leer and Tackle back to back! We're going hard or going home!"

Three seconds later, Snivy is out cold on the ground. Hugh returns her with a frustrated sigh.

"I couldn't achieve victory for my partner... I won't let myself forget this frustration! Wait, wow... I lost... This is different than battling with wild Pokémon! Well, whatever. I'm just happy to know you're a Trainer I can count on!"

He turns to leave. "Cool. Guess I'll see you later."

And just like that, he's gone.

Bianca smiles. "You should head over to Floccesy Town and train on their ranch before you challenge the Gym that's being built here! The leader's one of my best friends! We went on a journey at the same time all those years ago..."

I swear I can see a blush appear on her cheeks. I raise an eyebrow, and she turns even redder. She stammers out an explanation of Pokéballs and gives me ten of the capture devices to start. I express my thanks, and she sighs.

"Don't mention this to Cheren when you meet him, all right?"

I nod once, and depart from the site of my first battle. As soon as I finish descending the staircase, my Mom is waiting on me with a pair of Running Shoes in her hands.

"Here, Lety! You can use these to get around Unova- just walking along will take you quite a while! Have fun, kiddo, and don't forget to call me every once in a while from that XTranceiver of yours!"

I hug her neck, and she goes home as I approach the gate that is the only way out of Aspertia City. I step through it, and I find a scenic route filled with tall grass and lots of trees. Excellent, this is a great site to start capturing new members of my team!

I decide to see what happens when I step in the tall grass, and a Purrloin appears from nowhere, ready to battle. I release Typhoon, and he tackles the purple cat immediately, reducing her health. She stands up on shaky legs, and pulls herself together to the point where she can at least use a few Leer attacks to keep Typhoon from attacking her further. I throw a Pokéball, and three shakes later, a new member of my team is added. I hook the containment device on my belt, and decide to nickname her Shade, seeing that she'll evolve into a powerful yet graceful Dark-type.

After slowly making my way down the path and catching a Pidove with oddly colored feathers that I name Mercury, I come to the entrance to Floccesy Town and find a tall man with hair resemblant of flames standing on a cliff face.

I do a double take when he jumps down from the cliff and reveals his face.

Holy Reshiram, Alder, the former Champion of the region, is standing right in front of me!

"You there! Trainer!""My name is Alder! I'm a Trainer with a keen interest in the world. One of my goals is to tell people about how wonderful it is to walk towards the future together with Pokémon.""And you are? ... ... Hmph! So you're Lety from Aspertia City!""Your Oshawott is a fine-looking Pokémon! But you're not exactly a seasoned Trainer yet... Indeed! I'll train you a little! Follow me!"

I can't believe it. One of the most powerful trainers in existence wants to train me! This has to be the chance of a life time. We make small talk as we enter further into the town, and we pause before a familiar reddish orange roofed building.

"Oh, that's right! Lety, are your Pokémon well? Your Pokémon are always doing their best for you as a Trainer, so you must always be kind to them. My house is just a little farther! Stop by the Center first if you'd like!"

I nod and attempt to ask for him to wait for me as politely as possible. I dash inside, and Nurse Joy can see the eagerness in my eyes.

"You look like you're excited about something! Here are your Oshawott, Purrloin, and Pidove- come and visit us again soon!"

I know the former statement is supposed to be courteous, but I can't help but laugh inside. They make their business healing my partners due to my battling mistakes- so they want us to become injured again. Highly ironic.

After dashing back outside and finding Alder waiting on me, we continue to a small little log cabin with a shed outside of it. Going around to the shed reveals two eight year olds sitting on a battlefield, who exclaim, "Alder, Alder! You've brought us a challenger!" He laughs.

"Cassie and Seymour, this is Lety. She's just starting out, and I thought you'd give her a run for her money. Cassie, I'd like for you to battle her first."

She nods, and releases a Pansage. The monkey cackles a battle cry, and stands with a confident smirk on its face.

"Let's go, Mercury!" I announce, and Mercury takes to the air, hovering at about the level of my head. Cassie commands for her Pansage to use Pound, but Mercury dodges with a loop-the-loop and waits for my command.

"Gust!" He starts flapping his wings and they disappear into a blur of dusty wind, which pummels the poor grass-type monkey. The super effective move gives an extreme amount of damage, but to my surprise, the little green primate is still standing.

"Tackle again!"

"Use Gust one more time!"

The two meet, and the wind overpowers the force of the Tackle, and Cassie returns her Pansage with a saddened look on her face.

Alder gives her a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry. Pansage did a remarkable job despite its type disadvantage. One loss doesn't make you any less of a trainer."

She nods. "I remember, it makes me a wiser battler."

The former Champion smiles. "Excellent. Seymour, you're up next!"

"All right! Pansear, get out there!" His glasses slide down his face, which makes me smile.

"Go, Typhoon!" My blue and white sea otter emerges from the containment unit with his tiny fists at the ready.

"Tackle!" We both yell at the same time. Typhoon moves faster, and scores the first hit. He glows a blue color, and a spurt of water comes from his mouth. He grins, and I get an idea.

"Typhoon, use Water Gun!"

A more powerful blast of water comes from the maw of the otter, catching the fire primate completely off guard. The super-effective move KOs the poor little one, and Seymour looks happy instead of depressed.

"That's amazing! That's the first time that I've seen a Pokémon learn a new move in the middle of battle! Alder, did you see that?"

His teacher chuckles. "I did. Great job to the three of you. After a little more training and perhaps a new partner on your team, I believe that you can beat Cheren and advance to the Virbank Gym. I believe you can catch many different types of Pokémon on the Ranch just outside of town. I heard that the owners spotted a Riolu a few days back- that's a very rare Pokémon, even in its own original region of Sinnoh. Now go! Go train more!"

Well, you don't deny a Champion, so I nod and leave, running towards the ranch. I'll find that Riolu, because it'll be my only hope against a normal-type gym. Without one, my road will be a lot harder.

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_**(A/N): There's Chapter Two, everyone! Read and review, and don't forget about the poll on my profile for my other multi-chapter story, A Chosen Few! **_


	3. III

_**(A/N): Hey look, I'm not dead! Sorry for the delays- real life got in the way. Anyways, enjoy chapter 3! (PL)**_

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It took a little bit to get to Floccesy Ranch, and it had started raining by that time. I didn't care that my clothes and hair were plastered to my body, though- I was on a mission. I was going to find a Riolu, no matter how long it took me or how hard the search would be. I start to regret my choice in hairstyles as I make my way to the tall grass, and start wandering aimlessly. The first Pokémon to cross my path is a little Mareep, who looks at me with beady yet charming eyes. I send out Shade, seeing that the Dark type is my only current team member resistant to Electric type moves, and begin to battle. After a few tackles and leers, I catch the little one and name her Fusion.

I lose track of time as I keep wandering through the hilly fields, and finally, I can see what I came here for- a Riolu. It stands in the grass, casually munching on an indigo Oran berry with a smile on its face. It turns towards me, and I smile. He nods once, and I send out Typhoon.

"Tackle!" I cry. I know that it's a feeble move, but the little otter does his best to inflict the maximum amount of damage possible to the Jackal-esque fighting type. After a few dodged Tackles and Force Palms, I get an idea.

"Water Gun and Leer, back to back!" As Typhoon spouts a stream of water from his mouth, he pulls a rather ridiculous face. The Riolu keels over with laughter, and I take the opportunity to toss a Poké ball. After going through fifteen of the little devices, I name my newest team member Apollo and dash off through the clearing rain to the local Center. The Nurse raises an eyebrow when I walk in soaked to the bone, but she doesn't question where I've been as I hand over my Pokéballs for healing. She passes me a room key with a wink, and I head up to my room, totally exhausted from my long day. At the last second, I let my team out for introductions, and I run for a quick shower.

As I walk out of the room, drying my hair with a towel and dressed in my rather embarrassing Pikachu and Emolga printed pajamas, my team turns and stares, and then laughs. I roll my eyes, and fall onto the bed.

"Seems as if you're enjoying yourselves," I mutter.

"Osha!" my starter responds, tapping his chest. Apollo stands a little apart from the action, and watches with a small smile.

"Well I'm going to bed. Try to get some sleep tonight, because we've got a long day of training ahead of us tomorrow," I announce, and turn out the light.

* * *

I wake up the next morning to find Fusion and her voluminous coat of wool tucked under my arm, Shade resting at my feet, tail curled around its form, Mercury in his feathered splendor roosting on top of my head, Typhoon curled up on my right side, snoring rather loudly, and Apollo, eyes closed, leaning at the foot of the bed.

I sit up, take Mercury off of my head and set him on the pillow, and sneak out of the rented bed as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, I'm not quiet enough, and Apollo gives me a wary look as I trudge to the bathroom, throw on my newly washed and dried clothes, and sit down next to my new team member as I tie the laces of my trainers.

"What's your story, little one?" I ask. He merely shrugs, and motions towards his stomach.

"Let's wake the others, and we'll head down to breakfast together. We'll train at the ranch."

At the mention of the word 'training', Apollo perks up and smiles. I wake the others, and we stumble down the stairs- Mercury still trying to roost on my head- to the small eat in cafeteria, where I pass down assorted bowls of food to each of my teammates.

"If you do well and kick butt during today's training, I'll treat you to something sweet when we're done."

A rowdy call of assent follows, and I check out from the room and head back to the ranch, where more surprises await.

As I walk up the path towards the main house, I can feel that something is wrong. The owners of the ranch run out to meet me, and I notice that there's only one Herdier following them.

"Some man in a weird ninja looking uniform took our Herdier! We don't know where he went, and we're too old to run about looking for her," the older woman sighs.

All of a sudden, I hear footsteps pounding, and a familiar blue and spiky head comes into view.

"Hugh!"

He turns his crimson gaze towards all of us in turn.

"If it was Team Plasma, I'll break their..."

I clap a hand over his mouth before he can finish his sentence.

"We'll look for your Herdier," I answer. "We'll be back soon."

I grab Hugh by the ear and drag him towards the path.

"What was that for?" he asks, crossing his arms.

"Watch your mouth," I finish. "I'll give you a call if I find anything."

We split up. A bad idea at the time, but we split up. I used the time I spent traipsing through the tall grass and doubled it into training- most of my team was up a few levels before we reached a final clearing. I peeked around a tree, and saw the previously mentioned Ninja Guy using his Koffing to keep the Herdier in check. I called out Typhoon, Apollo, and Fusion, and discussed a quick plan with them.

"Shock Wave!" I cried, jumping out from my hiding place. Fusion's accuracy was dead-on, and the Koffing fell to the ground, unable to levitate.

"Stop him, Typhoon! Water gun! Apollo, take down the Koffing with Force Palm!"

Two attacks later, the man was calling back his poison type and running off past the boundaries, shouting "Plasmaaaaaa!" as he ran. The Herdier Tackled me, and started licking my face as Hugh and the Herdier's owners arrived.

"Oh, thank you!" the man exclaimed. I smiled as the Herdier rejoined his owners and his- presumed- mate.

"No problem," I reply. "I'm still worried about that man..."

"He got away?!" yells Hugh. "I'll go after him!" And at that, my navy-haired friend and his outlandish pants ran off into the forest.

The older lady gives me a confused look. "Does he do that often?"

I sigh. "Yes. Yes he does."

"You can use the Ranch to finish training, if you'd like," the man says. I thank him and return to my training by the front gate. We break for lunch and a quick snack at two o'clock, and start heading back to Aspertia before the sun starts to set. As I walk back home for the night, I start thinking.

If I win against the new gym leader, then I'll be leaving the only place that I've ever known. It's exciting to think that I'll be seeing new places and meeting new people, but rather nerve-wracking at the same time.

After a quick reunion and dinner with Mom, I find myself in the same position I was in last night- falling asleep with my teammates surrounding me. It's a nice comfort.

* * *

I wake up the next morning filled with restless energy, which I suppose is a good thing- I'll have to be on my feet and ready to go if I want my first gym badge. After a short breakfast and pep-talk, I head towards the center of town, where the new Gym, built in the style of a primary school, awaits. I take a deep breath and turn the door handle...


End file.
